Water treatment apparatus

Abstract

A water treatment system including a pair of tank assemblies 110, 112 interconnected by a valve module 114 for controlling the communication of water to be treated to an on-line tank and the regeneration of an exhausted tank. Each tank assembly includes a compartment containing a water softening resing 125 and a compartment centering an iron filter media. The valve module is connected to a regeneration solution reservoir 150 by brine conduits 164, 220. A pumping assembly 192 automatically transfers a predetermined amount of a supplemental regenerant fluid from a well 168 into the regeneration solution reservoir at the conclusion of a regeneration cycle. The pumping assembly includes upper and lower chambers 194a, 196a communicating with the supplemental regenerant fluid reservoir 168 and brine supply conduits 164, 220 respectively. The lower chamber 196a contracts and expands in response to the depressurization and pressurization of the brine conduits and produces attendant expansion and contraction in the upper chamber 194a. The upper chamber draws a predetermined amount of regenerant fluid from the reservoir 168 and injects the fluid into the regeneration solution reservoir 150. Check valves 186, 202 control the direction of flow of the regenerant fluid from the regenerant well 168.

I claim: 
     
       1. A water treatment apparatus, comprising: (a) tank means defining a resin compartment and a filter compartment in serial fluid communication;   (b) a reservoir including means for generating a predetermined quantity of brine solution;   (c) control valve means for controlling the communication of the tank means with the reservoir, including means for drawing solution from said reservoir during a regeneration cycle and delivering it to said tank means;   (d) means for injecting a predetermined quantity of a supplemental regenerant fluid into said reservoir, for intermixing with said brine solution to produce a composite regeneration solution, said means including: (i) a vessel containing said supplemental regenerant fluid;   (ii) conduit means communicating with said vessel and said reservoir;   (iii) automatic pump means driven by said solution drawing means and operative to extract a predetermined quantity of said supplemental regenerant fluid and to transfer it to said reservoir to be mixed with said brine solution to produce said composite regeneration solution.     
     
     
       2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tank means comprises individual tanks stacked vertically, one of said tanks defining said resin compartment and the other of said tanks defining said filter compartment. 
     
     
       3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pump means comprises a chamber including an expansible member, one side of said member being in fluid communication with said solution drawing means and another side of said member being in fluid communication with said vessel. 
     
     
       4. A water softening apparatus comprising: (a) structure defining a resin compartment containing an ion exchange resin and a filter compartment, said compartments located in serial fluid communication and defining an inlet for receiving water to be treated and an outlet for discharging treated water after passing through said structure;   (b) a solution reservoir including means for generating a predetermined quantity of brine solution;   (c) control valve means for controlling the fluid communication of said reservoir with said structure including conduit means for communicating solution from said reservoir to said structure during a predetermined operating cycle and for conveying water from said tank to said reservoir during another cycle;   (d) means for adding a predetermined quantity of a supplemental regenerant fluid into said reservoir including: (i) a vessel containing said regenerant fluid;   (ii) conduit means communicating with said vessel and said reservoir;   (iii) expansible chamber means operative to expand during said one operating cycle thereby extracting a predetermined quantity of supplemental regenerant fluid from said vessel and operative to contract substantially near the end of said one cycle to thereby expel said supplemental regenerant fluid into said solution reservoir to be mixed with said brine solution to produce a composite regeneration solution.     
     
     
       5. A water softening apparatus, comprising; (a) two serially connected tanks, one of said tanks containing ion exchange resin, the other of said tanks containing an iron filter;   (b) said tanks being stacked vertically such that during a water treating cycle, said one tank is downstream of said other tank;   (c) a reservoir of regeneration solution for regenerating said ion exchange resin in said one tank, during a regeneration cycle;   (d) control valve means for controlling the communication of said solution reservoir with said tank including a conduit and means for drawing solution from said reservoir through said conduit and delivering it to said tank, during a regeneration cycle;   (e) pump means driven by said drawing means, for injecting a predetermined quantity of a supplemental regenerant fluid into said solution reservoir including: (i) a vessel containing said regenerant fluid;   (ii) metering means including a conduit for extracting a predetermined quantity of said supplemental regenerant fluid from said vessel and transferring it to said solution reservoir after a predetermined quantity of solution is drawn from said reservoir during a regeneration cycle.     
     
     
       6. A fluid treatment apparatus, comprising: (a) tank means defining an inlet for fluid to be treated and an outlet for discharing treated fluid, said tank means including fluid treatment material for treating said fluid as it travels through said tank means;   (b) valve means for controlling the flow of fluid to be treated through said tank means and for regenerating said treatment material;   (c) a reservoir of regeneration solution including means for receiving constituent components of said solution and for co-mingling said constituents with water to provide a predetermined quantity of said regeneration solution;   (d) conduit means connecting said valve means with said reservoir of regeneration solution;   (e) a source of supplemental regenerant fluid including pump means operated by pressures in said conduit means, for transferring a predetermined amount of said supplemental regenerant fluid from said source to said regeneration solution reservoir at predetermined intervals to produce a composite regeneration solution.   
     
     
       7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said pump means for transferring includes an accumulating means for accumulating a predetermined amount of said supplemental regenerant fluid and means for discharging said accumulated regenerant fluid to said regeneration solution reservoir. 
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said accumulating means includes a pumping assembly comprising upper and lower chamber members sealingly clamping an elastomeric diaphragm. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said conduit means includes a conduit connecting said valve means with said regeneration solution reservoir and said pump means accumulates said predetermined amount of said supplemental regenerant fluid in response to a suction pressure developed in said conduit and discharges said accumulated supplemental regenerant fluid in response to pressurization of said conduit. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said source of supplemental regenerant fluid comprises an isolated well disposed in said regenerant solution reservoir. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said tank means comprises a pair of vertically standing, serially connected tanks, one of said tanks containing a water softening resin the other of said tanks comprising an iron filter media. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 11 further including a riser tube extending from a valve means connnector downwardly through both tanks and defining an opening near the bottom of a lower tank. 
     
     
       13. A water treatment apparatus comprising: (a) structure defining a water treatment bed containing material through which water to be treated is passed;   (b) means for regenerating said bed including a supply conduit for conveying regeneration solution to said bed from a reservoir, said reservoir including means for generating a predetermined quantity of brine solution;   (c) a source of supplemental regenerant fluid;   (d) pump means for transferring a predetermined amount of said supplemental regenerant fluid from said source to said regeneration solution reservoir at predetermined intervals whereby a composite regeneration solution is produced, said pump means including fluid driving means responsive to pressurization and depressurization of said regeneration solution supply conduit.   
     
     
       14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said pump means comprises an accumulator assembly defined by a pair of housing members and an elastomeric diaphragm captured between said housing members, one of said housing members being in fluid communication with said regeneration solution supply conduit and the other of said housing memebers being in fluid communication with said supplemental regenerant fluid source. 
     
     
       15. A water treatment apparatus, comprising: (a) a tank assembly containing water treatment material through which water to be treated is passed;   (b) means for regenerating water treatment material in said tank assembly, said means including: (i) a vessel defining a regeneration solution reservoir;   (ii) a regeneration solution well mounted within said vessel and communicating with said reservoirl   (iii) an isolated compartment containing a supplemental regenerant fluid mounted within said vessel;   (iv) a pump assembly including means responsive to pressurization and depressurization of a regeneration solution supply conduit communicating with said regeneration well, disposed within said vessel and operative to transfer a predetermined quantity of said supplemental regenerant fluid from said compartment to said regeneration solution reservoir prior to regenerating said water treatment material.     
     
     
       16. A water treatment apparatus, comprising: (a) a tank including a compartment containing water treatment material;   (b) a reservoir of regeneration solution;   (c) a control valve for controlling the communication of said solution reservoir with said tank including a supply conduit and a fluid aspirator communicating with said conduit;   (d) said aspirator being operative during at least a portion of a regeneration cycle, to subject said conduit to a suction pressure whereby solution is drawn into said control valvel from said reservoir;   (e) said control valve further including means for pressurizing said aspirator supply conduit;   (f) a pump means comprising a housing including an elastomeric member, one side of said member defining one expansible chamber in fluid communication with said supply conduit and another side of said member defining another expansible chamber in fluid communication with a fluid vessel;   (g) said pump means being operative such that when said aspirator becomes effective, said one chamber responding to said suction pressure in said supply conduit contracts and said other expansible chamber communicating with said fluid vessel expands whereby fluid from said vessel is drawn into said other chamber;   (h) said pump being further operative upon pressurization of said supply conduit, to expand said first chamber to expand thereby expelling said fluid from said other chamber and into a reservoir conduit that communicates with said reservoir.   
     
     
       17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein said reservoir contains a brine solution. 
     
     
       18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said fluid vessel contains a supplemental regenerant fluid which upon co-mingling with said brine solution in said reservoir produces a composite regeneration solution.